Sunday, January 14, 2018

The Easiest Best Tasting Homemade Bone Broth

Bone Broth 101

The Easiest BestTasting Homemade Bone Broth Bone Broth is one of the easiest super foods to make for your family and has been consumed for centuries for it's healing powers. Our gut health-which accounts for about 80% of our immune system, is greatly improved with the addition of bone broth in our diet. Make this super easy elixir for your family to help them improve health.
It is downright trendy to be sipping cups of bone broth and I am thrilled broth is back in fashion. It has been an important food for humans throughout history and with it's absence human health has suffered greatly.

Chicken Broth In my opinion the best product from the chicken is the broth. If we eat chicken we go harvest our own bird from roosters we raised earlier in the year. The white-get-fat-fast meat bird is not in our flock. When we harvest our bird there is very little premium white meat, but what is missing in meat is gained back in rich bone broth. Here is a bird we harvested and you can see there is not much meat but it will make a flavorful broth. I do not roast chicken bones and usually simmer the bones 24-48 hours or longer if I am making continuous broth in a slow cooker. *Note* If you add chicken feet your broth will be more gelatinous. The continuous simmer method is great to start on Sunday, as you take broth out add water back to the slow cooker. Sometimes I will keep it going until Friday. In the morning before school your children can dip out a mug full of this super food or take a thermos for lunch. Super easy.

Beef Broth

Beef broth is my favorite. I love beef and I love the richness of well-made bone broth and stock. We have been using the bones from our own beef for many years. I remember the first time I asked the butcher to save the bones they couldn't believe we wanted them.

First and foremost, choose the correct bones. One of the best attributes of harvesting calves is the best bone broth is made from rose beef bones. The younger the animal the more collagen. Rueffer Ranch Rose Beef is from nursing calves aged 6-8 months weighing 500-600 lbs. I shared a link at the bottom giving detail about bones. Adding meaty bones will make a richer broth and please make sure to save all the bones leftover from cuts such as roast or steak. If we eat rib eye steaks I will cut off the bone after it is cooked, but before it is served (store in the freezer until ready to make broth). When trimming beef for cuts such as stew meat always save the trim, just put in into the freezer and take out when ready to make broth. Here is an opportunity to use all of your beef.

Gelatin rich beef bone stock

*If a light clear broth is desired, place bones in a stock pot covered in cool water then bring to a boil. Drain, rinse, make your broth. This step helps remove impurities and improve taste.

My Favorite

SLOW COOKER METHOD

*If a rich brown broth is desired, roast the bones at 350 degrees for 30 minutes on each side or until desired darkness. I usually roast.

Add roasted bones to slow cooker, onion, peppercorns, splash of apple cider vinegar (if using slow cooker), and sometimes unpeeled garlic cloves and a bay leaf. Cover with water, not over one inch above the bones. Set slow cooker on low and cook 12-72 hours.

Most of the time the first day I will take out stock for soup and replace with water. This is called 'continuous simmer method'. (Take out broth and add back water).

I add garlic scapes in the winter because I have them in our garden.

*I PREFER TO USE A SLOW COOKER THAT IS CERAMIC WITH A GLASS LID.

When the broth has been bubbling for 12-72 hours, I cool slightly then strain the broth into a glass bowl (with a lid) then chill in the refrigerator. The next day I scrape the layer of beef tallow off the cooled broth and set it aside so I can heat it and strain the tallow into freezer jars.

The fat is gold and there are many uses; such as the best moisturizer for your skin and lips, a healthy fat for cooking, and tallow candles. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are best when oven-roasted with beef tallow.

If making a very large amount of broth I use the oven method.

Roast the bones as instructed above or blanch bones, add ingredients, cover with water, then loosely cover the pan (with natural parchment paper or a stainless steel cookie sheet) and cook at 250 degree for about 3 days.

Very important to cook broth at a bubble not a simmer! You may need to adjust your oven temperature to only a bubble.

I love the oven method because it is so easy and you don't have to worry about stove top heat and you can make a large quantity.

THERE ARE MANY CONCERNS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF COOKWARE SO BEST TO DO YOUR RESEARCH.

Beef tallow for roasting pumpkin.

*REMEMBER*

YOU CAN MAKE BEEF/CHICKEN BROTH IN THE SLOW COOKER BY PUTTING THE BONES IN THE COOKER AFTER ROASTING. SOMETIMES I START THE BROTH ON SUNDAY AND CONTINUOUSLY BUBBLE UNTIL FRIDAY, ADDING BACK WATER WHEN I REMOVE BROTH. Broth will be ready and waiting for you to dip a mug of this soothing healthy food anytime of the day!

You can always add water to the bones you just strained and make a second batch of broth. Sometimes I will freeze the bones after using them once for broth and make a second or maybe even a third batch. Of course, the broth will be more diluted but can be used to making soups. Waste not, want not.

There are several methods store broth for a later use.

* I put the lid back on the glass bowl and put it into the freezer.

* I warm the broth and pour it into freezer jars, then freeze.

* I pressure can the broth if I don't have freezer space or need the broth for my daughter at college.

Note: Canning may break down collagen.

My canner is a double decker and will hold 19 pints.

All-American Pressure Canner

Canned beef broth with mushrooms.

Canned beef broth. This is headed to Texas A & M.

A useful is hint: As you need stock for soup or dishes while the stock is bubbling, just remove stock and add water back. I plan to make soup while I am making stock. Super easy!

There are many ways to make bone broth and you can choose the perfect method for your lifestyle and family.